During the 1930s the Commission of Government of Newfoundland initiated a program to lend financial assistance to fishermen to build fishing schooners. These schooners, also referred to as western boats, were a similar but smaller model of the Lunenberg vessels or banking schooners. Their features were the same because they allowed fishermen to live, catch, process and salt their fish on board. When the vessel was filled to capacity they delivered their catches to their home ports for washing and drying in preparation for market. In the beginning, these vessels, like the banking schooner, were powered only by sail, thus creating an increase in the number of "wooden ships and iron men" in many coastal communities in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. In the fall and winter months of 1935 Mr. Steve Fagan (Uncle Steve as he was known to many of the local residents) had a fishing schooner built in his hometown of Riverhead, St. Mary's Bay. The main carpenter builder was a gentleman by the name of Mr. Joe Peevy, who hailed from St. Joseph's, Placentia Bay. Mr. Peevy was a well known shipbuilder of the day. He was assisted in the vessel's construction by the owner, Mr. Steve Fagan, and his three sons, Gus, Leo and Joe. Upon the completion of construction, Mr. Steve named his fishing schooner the Anna V Fagan after two of his daughters, Anna being the youngest and Vera, the oldest. She was mostly referred to as the Anna V by many of the locals in the area. However, in later years, she was known as Gordon Brown's Boat, particularly to the young boys of my generation in St. Mary's. When all the land construction was completed, a cradle was constructed to keep the Anna V upright on her keel during launching. As may well be appreciated, the big question of the days preceding the launch particularly in and around Riverhead was, "when is he going to launch?" or "when is puttin' her out?" At the time I can only assume that Mr. Steve was observing both the tides and weather patterns to determine a suitable day that would satisfy the curiosity of many and answer the question that he may have been tired of being asked. The day Mr. Steve had been waiting for finally arrived. Weather and tides were suitable for what would be a milestone in his life. He made the decision to launch his schooner on May 6, 1935, which happened to be the Jubilee Day (the 25th anniversary of the Coronation of King George V of England). There was much pomp, fanfare and excitement in the air in Riverhead as there probably was in the streets in London. Uncle Steve's friends and neighbours from Riverhead and "all round the bay" turned out for the launch and to lend a hand. With a verse or two of Johnny Poker and some heavy hauling, all thirty five tons of the Anna V slipped down the ways in her cradle and out into the waters of Riverhead Arm. A proud day indeed for Uncle Steve and his family! This would be a very significant event in the history of Riverhead, St. Mary's Bay. One individual bystander, Dr. James McGrath, MD*, recognized and appreciated the significance of this event. He is credited with having captured the events of the day in the following composition: The Riverhead Launching To the Riverhead launching on Jubilee Day Came men from St. Mary's and all round the bay They came from the Gaskiers, Cootes Pond and Mall Bay To help Uncle Steve get his craft underway. The customs house officer, magistrate too All turned out in style, the new boat to view There was Dr. Conroy and his lady so fair Like a Duke and a Duchess out taking the air. There came big Jack Savage from Hamilton Street Came out from the city his friends for to meet There was gunrod Ned Fagan and Black Billy Joe All sang to the chorus O Lord let her go. We had Billy Hanlon for shantyman too And all of the boys know what Billy can do When he sings in the cove in the fall of the year All the gulls from Gull Island come out for to hear. We sang Johnny Poker and hauled her along And all the boys present were pulling so strong When Mrs. McGrath broke the rum on her bow We all hove together when Billy said "now!" After hard hauling she got underway And slipped down the ways and out in the bay It would do your heart good to see such a charm And to see her slide out into Riverhead Arm. We were all delighted to see such a thing We wished her good luck and we cheered for the king We cheered for his majesty loudly and strong And wished him a future both happy and long. Now as for Steve Fagan to know him you'd wish At seventy-two still a devil for fish A fine fishing skipper on deck and below He trained his three boys well, Gus, Leo and Joe. And as for his three boys they're very well known If they were like the others they would stay at home But they fished out of Boston with old Jerry Shea They built their own houses and paid their own way. Now as for the boat we wish her the best We know Peevy's building can stand any test We wish he good luck as the years roll around Full hatches, fair landings and a good holding ground. And now it is time to bid you adieu My song it is finished and my liquor is too It will be a long time fore we have in the bay Like the Riverhead launching on Jubilee Day. (* At the time Dr. McGrath was the medical doctor who provided for the health needs of the people of all St. Mary's Bay from Point Lance to Peters River inclusive. After confederation with Canada he served the same people as the member of the House of Assembly for the Provincial District of St. Mary's. While serving as a member in the House, Dr. McGrath held a number of cabinet portfolios in the Smallwood government.) The days and weeks immediately following Jubilee Day, the Anna V Fagan was moored in the sheltered waters of Riverhead Arm. It was here that the mainmast and foremast were installed. She was then equipped with her rigging, sails, anchors and mooring chains. Shortly thereafter, under the command of Captain Steve along with his three sons and other crew members, the Anna V set sail from Riverhead bound for the fishing grounds on the south side of St. Mary's Bay, locally referred to as the Shag Rock Shore. This is where the Fagans would prosecute the codtrap fishery during the summer months of June, July and occasionally into the early part of August. Later in the fall, Captain Steve would participate in the fall hook and line fishery. I can only guess that Captain Steve, like many fishermen before, depended on the old adage "Cape St. Mary's pays for all." Captain Steve fished and freighted in the Anna V from 1935 until his untimely death from pneumonia in 1937. After Captain Steve's passing, his son Leo took the helm and skippered the Anna V until the family sold her in 1941. The Anna V was purchased by Mr. Henry C. Brown, president of H.C. Brown & Sons, Ltd. of Tacks Beach, Placentia Bay. The bill of sale was signed by Gus Fagan and was dated May 23, 1941. The middle initial C in Mr. Brown's name stood for Cleverly and he was referred to as Mr. Clev by all of the townspeople of Tacks Beach. After purchasing the Anna V, Mr. Clev appointed his brother Gordon to skipper her. Captain Gordon, along with his crew from Tacks Beach would return to St. Mary's Bay every summer to trap fish on the Shag Rock shore. From 1952 to 1965, Gordon Brown fished in a trap berth in the Big Cove at the Shag Rocks; a trap berth previously fished by my grandfather Billy Joe Yetman or 'Black Billy Joe' as he was referred to in the song. During the winter of 1957/58, the Browns had a major retrofit carried out on the Anna V. With this retrofit, the whole bow section was replaced increasing her overall length and tonnage from 35 to 50 tons. In addition, a new pilothouse was also constructed. In the mid 1960s, with resettlement looming on the horizon for the town of Tacks Beach, the Brown firm retired the Anna V from the fishery and put her up for sale. During this period 1941 to 1965 whenever the Anna V dropped anchor in St. Mary's harbour or tied up to the government wharf to take on supplies or seek shelter from an upcoming storm, the conversation around the community was that "Gordon Brown is in" or "that's Gordon Brown anchored in the harbour." As well may be appreciated, the Anna V was referred to on many an occasion as Gordon Brown's boat. It was well known in some circles that Captain Gordon Brown had a great liking for another captain whose surname was Morgan. He could do justice to a bottle of the same, then board the Anna V and head for the Shag Rocks for another week of fishing. Whenever he was in St. John's on business, and knowing that the Anna V was in St. Mary's, Mr. Clev would have a bottle delivered to Gordon by one of the local taxi drivers. On one such occasion, I remember Gordon walking up the road while a number of the neighbourhood children, yours truly included, were playing on the cross (where Molloy's Hill and the Beach Road intersect Route 90 passing through St. Mary's). Gordon approached us and inquired if Critch, the local taxi driver, had gone out. We lied and told him that he had gone out about a half hour ago. For a moment there was a sense of disappointment on Gordon's face until someone shouted, "you'll get no bottle tonight, Mr. Gordon." Realizing the jig was up, he smiled and reached into his pocket, took out his pocketknife, opened the blade and said "I'll cut the ears off ye!" - something he had no intention of doing, I'm sure. Without any hesitation I would say that Gordon Brown was a gentleman who was respected, admired and certainly well liked by the people of Riverhead and St. Mary's who had the distinct pleasure of having met him. After retiring the Anna V, Mr. Henry C. Brown sold her to Mr. Max Powell, a businessman from Carbonear who renamed the vessel Dianne Gail after his two daughters. Mr. Powell skippered the Anna V himself and used her mostly as a pleasure boat but he did carry supplies on some of the many trips he made to Labrador. He would bring back salt fish and salmon which he purchased from the local fishermen along the Labrador coast. In 1976, Mr. Powell sold the Dianne Gail to Mr. Bruce Hildred from Ganges, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, thereby ending the days of the Anna V as a Newfoundland fishing schooner. She was one, if not the last, of the fishing schooners to participate in the fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador. It was not until 1977 that Bruce Hildred, along with his father Philip, younger brother Rolf, and three other crew members returned to Carbonear to take possession of the Anna V. After leaving Carbonear, the Hildreds went to St. John's to take on supplies and to have their compass adjusted for the trip, as it was not working properly. After securing supplies, Mr. Hildred took the Anna V on the longest voyage she had ever sailed since Jubilee Day, May 6, 1935. This voyage would take her down the eastern seaboard of Canada and the United States, through the Panama Canal and up the western seaboard to her new home at Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, a distance of 7,010 nautical miles. It took 41 days to complete the journey sailing and steaming 24 hours a day. Bruce's father was the navigator on the trip and along with the compass, he used a Bulova watch which he had purchased in St. John's prior to departure. The watch was required so that perfect timing could be assured. It would also be used with another piece of navigational equipment, a plastic sexton. The sexton is an apparatus which was used for navigation before the invention of the compass. After leaving St. John's, the Hildreds ran into a terrible storm which lasted for days. In the rough seas, a crewmember was thrown against the compass knocking the compass light from its stand which had to be repaired. This was done by using a brass screw to hold the light in place so that they could read the compass during the night sailing. However, this screw caused the compass to malfunction by putting it out by 1.5 degrees. When the Hildreds left St. John's their plan was to stop over at Bermuda to take on supplies. After a couple of weeks steaming and sailing Bruce thought they had passed their destination. He had discovered the problem that the brass screw had caused with their compass. They had not had any sightings for six days but on the morning of the seventh day they saw Venus or the Morning Star. After doing some calculations with the Bulova and his sexton, Mr. Hildred told Bruce to steer 7 degrees to port. This order was carried out and after two hours' steam the port of Bermuda came into view. After fuel and other provisions were secured, the Anna V set sail again for a quick stopover at Puerto Rico and then onward through the Panama Canal. After passing through the canal the Anna V headed north up the western seaboard of the United States. There was one final stop to make for additional supplies before reaching her final destination. This stopover would be in the State of Oregon where they had to steam up the Suislaw River. While steaming up the river, Bruce noticed something was wrong. They were drastically losing speed. A voice came over their CB radio which warned them "You're going the wrong way!" Suddenly they came almost to a complete stop. The Anna V was aground in the mucky, sandy bottom of the Suislaw River. Luckily for the Hildreds and crew, the Anna V had been equipped with two 6-cylinder Kelvin diesel motors installed by the Browns of Tacks Beach. There was one on either side. With Bruce's quick thinking one motor was put in forward gear, the other in reverse, and the throttles were opened full speed. This action caused the Anna V to turn 180 degrees and head back down the river, leaving a huge hole of approximately seventy feet deep where she had grounded in the river bed. After escaping from what could have been a serious disaster, they headed for Salt Spring Island. After arriving at Salt Spring Island, Bruce immediately started to prepare his new possession to join his small fleet of fishing vessels which now numbered four in total. One of the first things he did was to change the name Dianne Gail back to the original name Anna V Fagan. Fishing in British Columbia was somewhat differed for the Anna V. As a fishing schooner in Newfoundland, the only species was cod. However in British Columbia she fished rock cod, dogfish, herring, clams and prawns. There was also a trip or two fishing for halibut. Mr Hildred's application for a permanent halibut fishing license for the Anna V was rejected by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. When not fishing for any of the species just mentioned, the Anna V was often used for packing herring, that was collecting herring from the small open fishing boats and transporting them to a processing plant. These small open boats were using gill nets for harvesting their herring. The most herring taken from the hold of the Anna V at one particular time was 50,000lbs, or 25 tons - one half of her total tonnage. One of the fishing excursions of the Anna V as recorded in her logbook on November 13, 1978, reads "fishing for dogfish near Vancouver." The catch was brought to Canbel Ave., a popular fishing port where there were several fish buyers and many fish restaurants. It was here that the catch was sold. On November 14, 1978, a total for 27, 690lbs of dogfish was offloaded which fetched $2,353.65. After fueling up, the Anna V headed for her home port of Ganges, Salt Spring Island. At 1510 hours she was passing directly under the Lions Gate Bridge. During her fishing days in British Columbia the Anna V gained television notoriety. CBC television approached one of Canada's top folk artists, Valdy Horsdal, to come to Newfoundland to film a television show aboard a Newfoundland fishing schooner. Due to his busy schedule he suggested that the show could be done in Vancouver, since there was a Newfoundland fishing schooner actively engaged in the BC fishery at the time. The show was filmed aboard the Anna V in Ganges Harbour and later shown on CBC. As may well be appreciated, this created a lot of interest, refreshed memories and provoked comments from the people of Riverhead, St. Mary's and former residents of Tacks Beach. One fateful day in December 1982, after five years of service to the fishing industry of British Columbia, the Anna V met with her untimely and sudden demise while tied up to the dock in Vesuvius. In the December 22, 1982, an issue of a local newspaper, the Gulf Islands Driftwood, reported the incident under the heading "storms lash islands leaving trail of damage." According to the report there were two heavy storms in succession which blasted the islands, the first with gale force winds of 48km per hour and a second with winds of 80km gusting to 118km per hour. The storms left towns without power due to downed power lines, uprooted trees causing road blockages, a hospital having to resort to emergency power, schools closed and the list goes on. A quote from the article reads as follows: "Another casualty of the pounding waves and high winds was the Anna V Fagan, which sank at the Vesuvius Dock after being driven by the heavy sea against the pilings of the wharf. Efforts to save the vessel continued until 4:30am Sunday when she was refloated." After refloating it was apparent that a large bolt protruding from one of the pilings had punctured her side, damaging some of her planks, causing her to fill with water and she sank at the wharf. Bruce had returned from fishing one of his other boats to find his beloved Anna V sunk at the Vesuvius wharf. He immediately set the wheels in motion to refloat her by using grader tire tubes which he borrowed from the Department of Highways. After refloating her, Bruce towed the Anna V back to Ganges where he removed the pilothouse from her deck and the two motors in order to make the necessary repairs. He installed sump pumps to keep her pumped out as he had to return fishing. While he was away, his efforts to save her were thwarted by saboteurs who cut the battery cables that supplied the power used to run the pumps. This caused her to partially sink a second time and she could not be refloated. Bruce then towed the Anna V out into Ganges Harbour and attempted to sink her in deeper water. This task proved to be a formidable challenge. Her bow stayed above the surface for approximately four months before she finally succumbed to the ordeal and slipped to her final resting place on the bottom of Ganges Harbour. All that remains of the Anna V Fagan today are a few artifacts. Mr. Hildred still has the helm, or steering wheel, which is made of solid brass. The pilothouse, constructed by the Browns in 1957/58 is presently being used a guest cabin by Rolf at his home on Salt Spring Island. Her barometer, or weatherglass, original compass and log are in the possession of some of Mr. Steve Fagan's grandchildren. In the composition the Riverhead Launching, a line in one of the verses reads "we know Peevy's building can stand any test," and now there can be no doubt that it did. For almost fifty years the Anna V Fagan plowed the seas, harvested the bounty of both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and created a livelihood for many fishermen who sailed on her. We can only assume that on Jubilee Day, May 6, 1935, Mr. Steve Fagan, at seventy-two years of age, had only a dream of providing a decent living for himself and his family. Little did her think that the fruits of his labour would provide a living for many more in another country and on another ocean, some of whom were yet to be born. We can only imagine how Mr. Steve may have felt had he been alive and present in Ganges Harbour the day his boat, his schooner, his pride sank below the surface. Would there be a tear in his eye? On his cheek? Maybe, maybe not, for Steve Fagan was an Iron Man!   Submitted By: NULL